| [ News Index ][ SpeedCenter Homepage ][ Copyright Info ][ SpeedCenter Galleries ] |
©2002 SpeedCenter Publishing Indianapolis, Indiana - Target Chip Ganassi Racing announced today that the team has signed second-year CART FedEx Championship Series driver Scott Dixon for the remainder of the 2002 season. Dixon will team with Kenny Brack and Bruno Junqueira and drive the No. 44 Target Toyota/Lola/Bridgestone car this weekend at the Milwaukee Mile in West Allis, WI. Team owner Chip Ganassi is excited to have Dixon join his stable of drivers. "There's no question that Scott is one of the most talented drivers in open-wheel racing today," Ganassi said. "One look at his resume and his performance on the track speaks for itself. He has proven that he can win races and championships, which is the reason why we signed him. Our goal this year is to win the CART championship and Scott gives us another legitimate shot of reaching that goal." Dixon brings an impressive resume to the team. From 1994 to 2000, the 21-year old from New Zealand won a championship in every racing series that he competed in. Last year, Dixon captured the Jim Trueman Rookie-of-the-Year award in the CART FedEx Championship series. He became the youngest winner (20 years, 9 months) in major open-wheel racing history when he won his third career start at Nazareth last year. He also captured the 2000 Dayton Indy Lights Championship. Dixon is eager to get started with his new team. "It's great to be a part of Team Target," Dixon said. "This team has shown over the past decade that they know how to win races and that's what I'm all about…winning races. It's unfortunate that things didn't work out with PWR, but it's exciting to stay with the Toyota family. They have committed a lot of resources to building a world-class engine and I can't wait to get up to Milwaukee and begin this exciting new chapter in my career." In 1994 at the young age of 13, he was granted a special license to compete in the New Zealand Formula Vee Championship and took the title. In 1995, Dixon won the Formula Ford class II championship, winning 13 of the 14 races. The next year he stepped up in class and won the Formula Ford class I title. In 1998, Dixon won the Australian-based Formula Holden championship for Formula 3000 cars with five wins and five 2nd place finishes. In his second year of competition in the Dayton Indy Lights series in 2000, Dixon won 6 of the 12 races en route to his win in the championship. Dixon's goal is to keep his championship win streak intact this year. "My goal this year is to win the championship and to help win the manufacturers title for Toyota," Dixon said. "I have two great teammates in Kenny and Bruno and I'm excited to be a part of such a great team. I have always been impressed with the success that this team has had in the past, and I'm honored to have the opportunity to drive for them this year." Team Target continues their assault on the CART FedEx Championship Title this weekend at the Miller Lite 250 in Milwaukee, WI. The race can be seen live on CBS this Sunday at 12:30 pm EDT.
|
|
|||
|
|
|||